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1
Lay the pork belly skin-side up on a clean work surface. Using a metal skewer or fork — not a knife — puncture the skin all over with small, close-set holes. The punctures must not breach into the fat layer beneath; the skin alone is perforated. The surface feels uniformly rough underfingers without any soft, fatty give at the puncture sites.
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2
Combine the five spice, salt, sugar, crushed garlic, Shaoxing wine, and white pepper. Turn the belly flesh-side up and rub the marinade thoroughly into the underside and all four sides. Leave the skin completely untouched by marinade. Place the slab skin-side up, uncovered, on a rack and refrigerate for a minimum of 8 hours or overnight. At the end of this period the skin surface is dry and matte to the touch — any sheen of moisture means it is not ready.
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3
Heat the oven to 180 °C. Set the pork belly skin-side up on a rack over a roasting tray. Roast for 25–30 minutes. The meat cooks through; the skin sets to a pale, opaque, firm surface that does not flex when the tray is moved.
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4
Raise the oven to 240 °C. Continue roasting for 10–15 minutes, watching the skin closely. The skin will puff and blister across its entire surface, lifting into an even, uniformly blistered layer of crackling. The colour is deep golden; any patches turning dark brown signal that the blast must stop immediately.
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5
Remove from the oven and rest on the rack for 10 minutes without covering. The crackling continues to crisp as it cools. Press lightly with one finger: a correctly made siu yuk crackles audibly and the skin is paper-thin and brittle. Cut cleanly through the crackling without shattering it; the slices hold their form.